our beliefs

1-1  The Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the inspired,¹ infallible Word of God,² a divine revelation, the original writings of which were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit.³ They are the supreme and final authority of faith and conduct.⁴
1-2  Inspiration is a special act of the Holy Spirit³ by which He guided the writers of the Scriptures so that their words would convey the thoughts He wished conveyed, would bear a proper relationship to the thoughts of the other inspired books, and would be kept free from error of fact, doctrine, and judgment.⁵
1-3  The Holy Scriptures, the written Word of God, are composed of all books of the Old Testament and New Testament, namely:

Old Testament

New Testament

¹ And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2Tim.3:15-17).
²  Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Psa.119:89). If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken– (John 10:35). The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever (Isa.40:8).
³  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2Pe.1:21). Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow (1Pe.1:10,11). We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words (1Cor.2:12,13).
⁴  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17). And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:27,44). I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book (Rev.22:18,19).
⁵  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Mat.5:17,18).

2-1 There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son,¹ and the Holy Spirit.² These three are one God,³ the same in substance, eternally equal in power and glory.

¹ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Mat.3:16,17). Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

² Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3,4).

³ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Gen.1:1,26). Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mat.28:19). May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2Cor.13:14).

3-1 There is but one living and true God,¹ immanent, transcendent, infinite in being and perfection, pure spirit,² invisible, immutable,³eternal, almighty, all wise,⁴ most holy, most free, most loving, most gracious, most merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin,⁵ the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and withal most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin. He will by no means clear the guilty.

¹ I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other (Isa.45:5,6).

² God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

³ I the LORD do not change (Mal.3:6a).

⁴ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Rom.11:33,34).

⁵ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exo.34:6,7).

4-1 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Word,¹ the eternal and true God who is of one substance and equal with the Father.² He took on Himself man’s nature, with all of its essential properties except sin: Being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,³ He embodied two perfect and distinct natures in one person. He is truly God and truly man, the only mediator between God and man.

4-2 The Lord Jesus Christ is the revelation of God to man.⁴ In the days of His humiliation⁵ He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, taught the will of God,⁵ was crucified, and died. He was buried and arose bodily from the dead on the third day. The Lord Jesus offered Himself a sacrifice for sins,⁶ satisfied the justice of the Father, propitiated the wrath of God, reconciled God and man,⁷ and obtained an eternal inheritance.

4-3 The Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, from whence He had come, and was exalted, taking His place at the right hand of the Father, where He makes intercession on behalf of all who come to God through Him.⁸

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3,14).

² He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Col.1:15-20).

³ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us” (Mat.1:22,23).

⁴ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs (Heb.1:1-4).

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil.2:5-11).

⁶ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Heb.9:14).

⁷ For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Rom.5:10).

⁸ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin (Heb.4:14,15).

5-1 The eternal¹ Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son,² is of the same substance and equal in power and glory with the Father and the Son. By Him the prophets were moved to speak the Word of God, and all writers of the Holy Scriptures were inspired to record infallibly the mind and will of God.³ He is the only efficient agent in the application of redemption. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,⁴ moves them to repentance, and regenerates⁵ them by His grace, enabling them to embrace Jesus Christ by faith.

5-2 The Holy Spirit indwells all true believers, baptizing them into one body, of which Christ is the head.⁶ He, the divine Comforter, Intercessor, and Advocate, empowers the believer for service.⁷

¹ Who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God (Heb.9:14b).

² And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:16,26).

³ For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2Pe.1:21).

⁴ But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned (John 16:7-11).

⁵ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

⁶ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1Cor.12:13).

⁷ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).